Making ESG improvements in real-time
This post was originally published on this site.
As environmental, social and governance (ESG) expectations intensify across the global mining sector, the focus is shifting from strategy to execution. Mining companies are being challenged to demonstrate measurable improvements on the ground, in real time.
In underground mining, that challenge is most acute at the mine face. It is here, within development headings and active production zones, that safety risks are highest, conditions change rapidly, and productivity gains or losses are determined minute-by-minute.
MST is addressing this challenge by enabling Short Interval Control (SIC) through its leading connectivity, AXON, and scalable software, the HELIX platform, bringing together real-time visibility, control and accountability to the areas where ESG outcomes are most directly influenced.
Closing the visibility gap at the face
The mine face has historically been one of the most difficult environments to connect and monitor. Constant development, ground conditions, mobile equipment and blasting cycles disrupt traditional communications infrastructure, limiting the ability to maintain reliable coverage.
This lack of connectivity has had a direct impact on safety and productivity. Without real-time data, decisions are often based on delayed or incomplete information, reducing situational awareness, slowing response times and allowing minor disruptions to escalate.
In many cases, this meant supervisors were relying on end-of-shift reports or intermittent radio updates, with limited ability to intervene while work was still in progress.
MST has changed this dynamic with solutions such as AXON Mesh delivering a mobile, high-bandwidth connectivity that can be rapidly deployed and extended as development advances. It is designed to ensure continuous communication coverage right to the working face, creating a reliable digital backbone in even the most challenging underground environments. This removes the traditional lag between development advance and network availability, eliminating the blind spots that previously existed in active headings.
While connectivity is critical, it is only part of the solution. MST’s HELIX modules build on AXON’s network supplying real-time data flow by integrating, visualising and contextualising information from across the operation.
Working together, AXON connectivity and HELIX intelligence transform raw data into actionable insights that directly support SIC. In practice, this shifts operations from reactive management to continuous, interval-based control throughout the shift.
SIC is built on disciplined, interval-based execution, where activities are monitored, measured and adjusted continuously throughout a shift. HELIX enables this by structuring workflows, delivering live dashboards, and generating alerts that highlight deviations from plan as they occur.
Rather than waiting until the end of a shift to understand performance, supervisors can review progress in defined intervals (for example, every 30–60 minutes), identify deviations, and take corrective action within the same operating window.
The end result is a closed-loop operational system:
- AXON connects the face and ensures data availability
- HELIX converts that data into real-time operational intelligence
- SIC uses that intelligence to drive immediate action
This significantly reduces decision latency, moving from hours between identifying and responding to issues to minutes within a live production cycle.
This integration allows supervisors and operators to see what is happening as it happens, whether it is workforce movement, equipment performance or cycle progress, enabling faster, more informed decision-making.
For example, if a development cycle falls behind within an interval, this is visible immediately, allowing crews to adjust sequencing, reallocate equipment or address constraints before delays compound.
Improving ESG outcomes through SIC
By enabling SIC at the mine face, MST’s AXON and HELIX solutions are directly contributing to improved ESG performance.
Safety is significantly enhanced when operations move from reactive to proactive.
With AXON providing continuous connectivity and HELIX delivering real-time visibility, supervisors gain a live understanding of personnel location, equipment interactions and environmental conditions. This improves traffic management, reduces exposure to high-risk zones and enables faster responses to emerging hazards. Structured interval monitoring also increases accountability and discipline, ensuring plans are executed safely and consistently throughout the shift.
Environmental performance is increasingly tied to operational efficiency, and SIC provides the mechanism to optimise both. HELIX modules enable precise monitoring and coordination of production activities, reducing idle time and improving equipment utilisation. With AXON ensuring uninterrupted data flow, these insights can be actioned immediately. The result is more efficient energy use, reduced emissions intensity per tonne, and better alignment with working environmental targets. Rather than treating sustainability as a standalone initiative, it becomes embedded within everyday operational decisions.
Governance is strengthened through transparency, consistency and accountability, all of which are core outcomes of SIC. HELIX structures interval-based reporting supported by real-time data, creating a clear and auditable record of operational performance. This supports compliance requirements while also enabling continuous improvement.
By standardising workflows and reducing variability, mining operations can ensure safety, environmental and production standards are met consistently, shift-by-shift.
The growing adoption of SIC reflects a broader industry shift toward data-driven, disciplined execution in increasingly complex underground environments. MST’s AXON and HELIX platforms are central to this evolution. By delivering connectivity at the mine face and transforming data into actionable intelligence, they provide the operational foundation for more advanced capabilities.
Automation, artificial intelligence and remote operations all depend on reliable, real-time data and structured workflows. SIC, enabled by AXON and HELIX, creates the environment in which these technologies can thrive.
For mining companies, the challenge is no longer defining ESG goals but embedding them into daily operations in a way that delivers measurable outcomes.
MST’s approach of utilising connectivity with an intelligent software platform enables SIC and offers a practical path forward. By bringing real-time visibility and control to the most critical areas of the mine, MST is helping operations improve safety, reduce environmental impact and strengthen governance; not as separate initiatives, but as integrated outcomes of how the mine operates every shift.
This feature article appeared in the June 2026 issue of Australian Mining magazine.